


You & I

by nsfdoyoung



Series: Infinity - A Hogwarts AU [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M, Minor Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Minor Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Britpicked, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Soulmates, Veela (Harry Potter), Veela Mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2020-09-28 13:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20426720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nsfdoyoung/pseuds/nsfdoyoung
Summary: "It's been four years since you've been pining after Jeno Lee's flat arse the moment you saw him catch your wayward toy snitch flying pell-mell around the Hogwarts Express the first time! People shake off their crushes on Veelas in a few days, but you never did! Do something about it!"NoMin Harry Potter Veela Mates!AU





	1. I See What It's Like For Day and Night (Never Together)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a warning: there's actually not much research that went into the making of this. I took a lot of liberty when writing, literally just went ham with waving my creative license around, so hardcore Potterheads, don't come for me pls. This is also not Britpicked, as I am not British. I've done what I could, but it ould definitely be better. If anyone wants to help me with that, feel free to slide into my DMs on Twitter, I'm also nsfdoyoung over there as well as on CC. That said, let's get this show on the road!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 03/24/2020 PHT

The moment Donghyuck heard another sigh from the blithering idiot next to him, he's decided he's had enough.

"Bloody hell, Jaemin, either man up and confess to Jeno, or stand down and move the fuck on!" Donghyuck growls, violently stabbing at his French toast.

Jaemin pouts at him over his goblet of what Donghyuck considers broom polish ("Master Jaemin!" A small elf named Pimmy screeches at them whenever they sneak into the kitchens after curfew. "No more _poison_ coffee, Master Jaemin, _no_! Peach juice, yes, peach juice for breakfast!" Jaemin gets served coffee either way).

"But Hyuck--"

"Don't _But Hyuck!_ me!" Dongyuck cuts him off, pointing threateningly at Jaemin with his fork, a syrup-drenched blueberry skewered on the prongs.

"It's been _four years_ since you've been pining after Jeno Lee's flat arse the moment you saw him catch your wayward toy snitch flying pell-mell around the Hogwarts Express the first time! People shake off their crushes on Veelas in a few days, but you never did! Do something about it!"

"I beg your pardon!" Jaemin fluffs indignantly. Donghyuck wonders what nonsense Jaemin will spout in self-defense this time.

"I'll have you know that his arse is _not_ flat!" Donghyuck wants to stab him for this pronouncement, but he needs his fork to eat his toast, so Jaemin better count it his lucky day that Donghyuck decides to be kind and not commit murder by silverware this wonderful morning.

"His robes just hide it well, and he always wears these long jackets out of uniform, he has an arse, unlike you!" Jaemin ends this with a _Hmp!_ from his nose while he crosses both arms across his chest with a sullen pout, looking like a particularly sulky little child throwing a tantrum.

"Are you shitting me?" Donghyuck huffs indignantly. "I throw in your face the fact you've been helplessly, hopelessly in love with him for four years and you focus on me saying his arse is flat? Jesus Christ, Jaemin!"

"But it's not easy, confessing!" Jaemin complains, slumping onto the table. Around them, their fellow Slytherins continue with their own breakfasts and conversations, used to Donghyuck complaining about Jaemin's 'unrequited' love towards the blonde half-Veela Gryffindor every day.

"Well go on," Donghyuck goads, grabbing for his tea, "remind me why in blazes it's difficult?"

"House Rivalry for one!" Jaemin looks at him incredulously, as if to ask Donghyuck if he's lost his mind for not knowing. He must have, Donghyuck thinks, to have let this madness go on for so long.

"I'm _Slytherin_ and he's _Gryffindor_!" Jaemin points to himself, then to the direction of the Gryffindor table on the other side of the Great Hall, where Jeno sits with his younger cousin, 2nd year Jisung Park.

Donghyuck can feel his right temple pound from his irritation as he sips his tea. "And I'm dating a _Hufflepuff prefect_," motioning to the same direction, towards the Hufflepuff table nearer to the center of the Great Hall, where his own boyfriend, 5th year Mark Lee, was being tutored by his friend, Ravenclaw 4th year Renjun Huang, while Gryffindor 3rd year Chenle Zhong yammers at them with some story or another.

"If there's anyone Slytherins hate more than a quiet yet popular Gryffindor boy, it's an earnest Hufflepuff boy in a position of power," Donghyuck claims, banging his teacup on the table in frustration. "So, no, Reason 1 not accepted!"

"Well, his family is rich, and I'm not," Jaemin mutters into the table.

Donghyuck can literally feel his blood pressure rising. "You're both purebloods! Mark is a highborn pureblood as well while I'm a Muggle-born but his family doesn't care about that! Reason 2 denied!"

"That's because you're the only Muggle-born Slytherin in the last 50 years, _and_ you actually do have a squib ancestor from one of those American sacred families!" Jaemin screeches, pushing himself off of the table to point at Donghyuck's face. Donghyuck moves to bite at the offending appendage, but Jaemin snatches it away to hold his hand tight against his chest.

"That, and you can cook; ensuring Mark doesn't die from starvation ranks higher over blood purity for them." Jaemin deflates with a sigh, hunching over.

Donghyuck slaps him on the shoulder to have him straighten up. Jaemin banged up his back during a Quidditch match on his first year as Seeker on the Slytherin team, and the healer folks over at St. Mungo's said that even though the injury's been healed magically, keeping proper posture should be maintained to help it along.

"Jaemin, you cook better than I do," Donghyuck says testily. "Even Jeno's eaten your food and he's claimed your soy sauce egg fried rice is better than Dongyoung Kim's, and it's no secret at Hogwarts how Jeno absolutely loves his half-brother."

And it's true. The two of them stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas holidays last year for some reason or another, and so did Mark, Renjun, Chenle, Jeno, and Jisung. Donghyuck demanded Jaemin cook a midnight snack during one of their moonlit escapades to the kitchens near the Hufflepuff Basement. With Donghyuck came Mark, and with Mark came Renjun and Chenle, and with Chenle came, oddly, Jisung, and with Jisung obviously came Jeno. When Jeno said he thought Jaemin might have cooked better than his own older brother, he had the other six swear they won't tell anyone for fear of retribution. Jaemin had been as red as the holly berries decking the halls and kept his head down.

"And, well, Jeno himself is half-Veela, I don't think his family cares for blood purity all that much either?" Donghyuck surmises, returning to his French toast.

Jaemin seems to deflate even more hearing this, listing to the side to rest his big head on Donghyuck's shoulder.

"Well, that's the kicker, isn't it?" He says, tone soft and sad. "He's a Veela, and Veelas have this destined mate they'll be with for life."

Donghyuck gives up his peeved front and pats Jaemin's head. Well, that one certainly is something to give pause. And yet...

"...Jaemin, I don't know if you're actually unaware or simply being blinded by your misplaced insecurities and baseless self-deprecation, but you're recipient to a lot of liberties and weird quirks regarding Jeno Lee."

"What in blazes are you yammering about now, Donghyuck Lee?" Jaemin gloomily sighs into Donghyuck's robed shoulder.

Donghyuck shakes him off and has Jaemin face him. "Uh, Liberty Number One, you're the only person he talks to regularly."

Jaemin rolls his eyes as if he's heard the most absurd thing ever. "Everyone talks to him every day," he says, holding up his americano for a sip. "That doesn't amount to anything."

"Well, they always start the conversations with him, but Jeno always approaches you for a chat as much as he can in a day," Donghyuck drawls out.

He shoves his last forkful of toast into his mouth and swallows before talking again.

"Alright, so Liberty Number Two is that aside from family, the only person Jeno willingly lays his hands on is you."

"No, I'm not," Jaemin grumbles, slightly slumping again, before he remembers and straightens his back. "He touches his Housemates and teammates, all the time."

"Alright, let me reword that," Donghyuck concedes because it is true that Jeno is prone to giving pats on the back to his fellow Gryffindor Quidditch teammates.

"You're the only non-Gryffindor he willingly touches," he amends.

Jaemin shakes his head. "No, he touches you, Mark, Renjun, and Chenle, too."

"No, we touch him first and only then will he touch us back," Donghyuck argues. "But with you, his hands reach out the moment he sees you, even from far away."

And as if summoned, Jaemin feels a hand settle on his shoulder, warmth seeping through the layers of his robes, sweater, shirt, and undershirt. He looks over his shoulder and up the robed arm to see Jeno's widely smiling face, eyes slit in happiness.

The Slytherins around him fall into a hush, some swooning from his handsome face, the others from his prominently sweet-smelling pheromones. Even the already taken Donghyuck flushes, no match for a happy Jeno's happy pheromones.

Jaemin imagines he probably would have reacted the same had he been able to smell anything more than the mild and clean scents of Jeno's apple-kiwi shampoo and cherry blossom detergent, but he'd never had, even when they first met. No one probably knows he can't scent Jeno's Veela pheromones nor why, and he thinks he'll never find out.

"Ready for our match on Thursday, Na?" Jeno asks, gently squeezing Jaemin's shoulder.

"Bring it on, Lee," Jaemin answers, slightly smirking.

"How do you always seem to find Jaemin so quick, Lee?" Donghyuck asks, not really curious because he already has a hypothesis why. "It's like you just know where he is, like how Veelas feel their mate all the time."

"It's just my hair, Hyuck," Jaemin sighs out. "You can probably see the pink from across the castle."

Jaemin refuses to consider Donghyuck's outlandish implication that he might be Jeno's mate. Jeno's mate is probably someone great that fate decided would suit him well. Jaemin's nothing special.

"Why do the two of you insist on talking trash when you actually don't care who between your Houses wins so long as it's not Ravenclaw who wins House Cup?" Renjun asks exasperatedly behind Jeno. Jaemin didn't even notice he, along with Jisung, Mark, and Chenle followed Jeno to their table.

Talk about tunnel vision.

Jaemin takes note of the five of them having their bags slung upon their shoulders for the start of classes, and begins to stand up as well, Jeno's hand sliding from his shoulder.

"It's tradition, my dear Mr. Huang," Jaemin informs him haughtily, donning on his own bag as Donghyuck follows suit.

The seven of them step out of the Great Hall towards their destinations, Donghyuck and Jaemin to Charms, Jeno to Double History of Magic with Hufflepuff, Renjun for Arithmancy, Chenle and Jisung for Double Potions, and Mark to patrol for truant students as part of his prefect duties.

"It's unacceptable that a House full of bookworms and sports snobs get the Quidditch House Cup," Jaemin shakes his head. "No offense meant," he adds.

"None taken," Renjun sniffs. "I don't really care for Quidditch, and it annoys me that my Housemates are only participating in it to spite you Slytherins and Gryffindors."

"What if 'Ufflepuff wins ze Cup?" Chenle asks, not knowing much about Hogwarts traditions since he only transferred from Beauxbatons late last term when his father was appointed the French Consul to the British Ministry of Magic and they had to move from France to England.

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, wouldn't it?" Mark asks, eyes peeled for any possible students hiding in the shadows to play hooky. "Hufflepuff always won the Cup during Jeno's brother's time here."

"Ze actor, _oui_?" Chenle confirms. "Gongmyung Kim?"

"Well, with my brother-in-law as Hufflepuff captain, I probably wouldn't mind them winning House Cup," Jeno says, smirking, earning him a playful smack from Jisung who snickers and says, "Jaehyun's not married to Doyoung yet, shut up!"

"I don't know, Lee," Jaemin joins in. "Sicheng Dong became captain this year after he helped Ten Leechaiyapornkul get his last Cup as captain; I don't think he'd pull back his competitiveness even for his best mate."

Jeno shrugs, slowing down as the Slytherins reach their classroom. "I don't know, we'll see, Jungkook Jeon is Gryffindor captain now, he's pretty competitive, same as Ravenclaw's Dongmin Lee, who I heard is actually in it for the game."

"How about let's just leave it with 'May the best 7th year captain win?' " Jaemin settles, stepping into the room. "See you, mate."

Jaemin misses the wistful look Jeno throws him at the word 'mate.'

"Yeah, see you, _mate_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To the first time readers, welcome! To those who have been here before, welcome back! Yes, I edited this because I noticed a lot of similarities between this and [The Spell That Binds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13679007) by taeyongseo, but it was also recently revealed that one of the characters is also half-Veela. At this point I've come to the mindset that at this day and age there hardly is anything that is 100% original and unique and I've decided to just continue with the original outline I've set for this AU. Although, I will also add to this instalment some the new details I've developed for this AU as this fic lacks a lot of worldbuilding.  
One of the notable changes I've made is that Chenle is French of Chinese descent. I'm really sorry about his accent though, but since I remember the original HP series having stylized dialogues for characters with accents, I decided to do it as well.


	2. I Figured It Out (From Black and White)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeno's worst nightmare happens during winter, a week before Christmas hols.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 5/24/2020 PHT

Jeno's worst nightmare happens during winter, a week before Christmas hols. He's in Defense Against the Dark Arts with his fellow 4th Year Gryffindors when Professor Minseok Kim says they'll be having a class that day with Slytherins, before letting in a flock of green-tied kids.

He shares a look with Bin Moon, a fellow Gryffindor who he got along well with (after the customary short initial infatuation from the pheromones faded away and all that's left is a sincere shy kid who was mortified by reacting to something he can't control) after someone's failed spell-casting in Transfigurations ended up with Bin having Veela-white hair and Jeno saying, "Hey, Moon, you kinda look like me!"

They exchange shrugs. They don't understand it, but they don't mind it; there's no bad blood between either of them and any Slytherin student, so why bother? Jeno thinks his and Bin's general air of affability is what made them stay friends. Their similarities have also been the source of rumours of them being twins, but it didn't last long because people remembered the fact that one of Jeno's fathers was a Veela, which meant he was hatched from an egg, and it would've been big, _public_ news if twins hatched from the _same_ egg. That and Bin is absolutely, completely, obviously human; no natural ice-blonde hair, overbearingly sweet pheromones, or bird-like instincts displayed.

He sees Jaemin Na (and by extension Donghyuck Lee) and waves them over. They share nods and murmured thanks, and if Jeno keeps on surreptitiously stealing glances at Na, it's not something everyone in their year hasn't seen yet.

He's not sure if anyone knows that Na is his destined mate, or if they just think he has a crush on the only person who had never professed his undying love to him within the first ten seconds of meeting him. He doesn't want anyone to know anything until he's made his move.

Until he gathers enough courage to make a move, more like.

For someone like him, who never has to worry about being rejected for anything, fearing rejection seems ironic, yet, at the same time, very sensical since it'll be from the only person who ever could.

Professor Minseok Kim claps his hands to get everyone's attention. He's Jeno's favourite professor, and it's not just because he dotes on and coos at Mark like the Hufflepuff Prefect is his own little brother. He's not tall, but he holds his head high with a comfortable sort of confidence. He's quiet, kind, and dependable, and one of the most favoured professors in Hogwarts. He's the oldest among the four Professor Kims, but he's not the most serious (that's Arithmancy Professor Junmyeon Kim), nor the loudest (that's Charms Professor Jongdae Kim), nor the tallest (that's Flying Instructor and Quidditch coach Sir Jongin Do-Kim, husband of Potions Professor Kyungsoo Do-Kim), but he manages to wrangle the disasters that are his cousins whenever they're all together in one room. He's even seen him quell Herbology Professor Baekhyun Byun and Care of Magical Creatures Professor Chanyeol Park from bothering the matron, Sir Yixing Zhang with just one look once and Jeno had vowed since then that one day he'd be as cool as Professor Minseok. (Rumors of him being mated to a Veela from the Chinese Lu Family may also have contributed to this, but Jeno is not willing to admit to that.)

Jeno snaps out of his musings when Professor Minseok brings out his wand and motions for a tall dresser closer to the centre of the room, all of the students seated around it staring as it moves and rattles with whatever is inside.

"Alright," Professor Minseok starts. "Is there anyone in this class who has any guesses on what's inside?"

Everyone kept looking at each other, having an idea of what it was, but not risking embarrassment if they were wrong.

Jeno decides he'll just do it, then.

“It’s a boggart.”

"Correct! Ten points to Gryffindor, thank you, Mr Lee," Professor Minseok nods, and Jeno _preens_. He's part-bird, he can't help it.

"In the past few weeks, we've gone through the necessary lore, spellcasting, and wandwork required, and now it's time for the real deal." He glances around, and seeing everyone raptly listening to him, he continues.

"What's the spell?"

"_Riddikulus_!" They all shout, some with raised fists, feeling hyped up with the prospect of an encounter with your actual nightmare.

"Any volunteers?" Professor Minseok asks, which brought the excitement to a screeching, nervous halt. "I'll be here every step of the way, so none better go shy on me now!"

"If we're talking _ballsy_," Donghyuck Lee says, getting up, "It might as well be _me_."

Lee steps out with a confident air that Jeno knows is half-real and half-fake. He's brave for a Slytherin, but he's also not stupid.

Once Lee is in front of the dresser with his wand out and poised, Professor Minseok nods at him.

"At the count of three, I'll open the doors. Ready? One, two, three. _Alohomora_!"

The doors open to nothing but darkness, and no one except for Lee sees anything, but at his deep breath, the students closest to the middle start whispering when a figure steps out. Jeno hears Na cuss under his breath. Jeno doesn't understand until he sees the boggart.

But it isn't exactly the boggart that comes out of the dresser.

It's Mark Lee. A slightly older Mark Lee.

It's an older Mark Lee who has formal dress robes on. _Wedding robes_. His left hand is rubbing at his neck and collar, a gold band glinting from the ring finger.

"_Thank you for coming to the wedding, Duckie_," the faux Mark Lee says, misty eyes locked on Donghyuck Lee's now slightly shaking form.

"_I'm sorry about this_," he continues. "_I wanted to stay with you forever, but... my family wanted to keep the bloodline pure... and they've always wanted me to marry Eunji Go since forever, anyway..._"

Said girl, Eunji Go, more known by her nickname Koeun, hisses at the boggart from somewhere in the middle of the red and green mass of students.

Jeno's slightly sensitive Veela hearing picks up her grumbling about how that makes no sense because Mark Lee and his family fell in love with Donghyuck Lee the moment they met him.

But of course, fear doesn't have to make sense to exist. It just does.

"_It's been a great couple of years_," Mark Lee the boggart adds. "_It's time for you to also move on and forget me, yeah?_"

"Yeah, no," Donghyuck Lee says, raising his wand. "The only person Mark's marrying is me, and no one else. _Riddikulus!_"

With a firm downward movement, Donghyuck Lee casts the spell, and the sad, older Mark Lee in wedding robes transforms into 5th Year Mark Lee in flannel pyjamas with a matching nightcap, fluffy bunny slippers, and a knit lion plush in one hand that was rumoured to be hand-made (with no help from magic!) by Donghyuck Lee himself.

A burst of giggles and snickers comes from the students as Lee smiles. It's not a particularly ridiculously embarrassing sight, but the humour stems from how everyone knows this exact ensemble exists in real life, due to a prank gone wrong and the Hufflepuff boys had to evacuate their side of the dormitories in the middle of the night in their sleep clothes to bunk with other houses. As the prefects had to help with settling the lower years, everyone saw Mark Lee with his slippers, cap, and lion.

Boggart-Mark scuttles back into the dresser with the class' laughter still ringing around, and Professor Minseok re-locks it with a flick of the wrist.

Donghyuck Lee returns to his seat, accepting the high-five Eunji Go offers him on his way back with a grin and laugh.

A loud clap rings in the air, and all eyes return to the middle of the room to see Professor Minseok's crooked grin.

"Now, who's next?"

Almost everyone raises their hands, clamouring to have a go.

Some have common fears, like deep waters, giant spiders, and failing their parents.

There are also those with more unusual ones, like butterflies, birds (Bin's was pigeons, which Jeno took a particular offence to, because, _hello_, Jeno was Part-Bird!), and Professor Kyungsoo Do-Kim glaring and scowling on particularly bad days.

Jeno hears Na ask to be let to go to the bathroom, and so he takes the chance to volunteer to face the boggart then.

Jeno thinks he's quite brave- he's a Gryffindor, after all- but he suspects his turn with the boggart will be similar to Donghyuck Lee's.

Everyone becomes quiet when Professor Minseok calls him forward, curious as to what beloved Jeno Lee's deepest fear is.

He's sad to say it is not a _what_, but a _who_.

Professor Minseok looks at him hard, gaze searching. "Are you quite sure you're ready to face your fears, Mr Lee?"

Jeno nods, hands shaking. "Yes, professor; I'm ready."

Professor Minseok nods reluctantly, before spelling the dresser open.

The surprised gasps that escape the class are louder than when the boggart stepped out as Mark Lee the first time. It's even louder than when a two-meter tall acromantula skittered out.

And why wouldn't they be surprised, when everyone knows that Jaemin Na just stepped out of their classroom and is on his merry way to the nearest toilets?

What's probably more surprising is the expression the boggart has put on Na's handsome face. He's frowning. No, not just frowning, but downright _scowling_. It was worse than when Professor Kyungsoo forgot his glasses the whole day and his migraines act up because he wasn't able to get a Pepper Up Potion from Sir Zhang at the hospital wing during lunch.

Jaemin Na doesn't frown, much less scowl. He can get into the most mental situations with nothing less than the brightest smile, an absolute ray of sunshine. He pouts when wheedling and whinging at Donghyuck Lee, sure, but he never _frowns_.

The faux Jaemin looks something unimaginable: angry and affronted.

"_Really?!_" Boggart-Jaemin spits out, scowling impossibly deeper, eyes flashing in disgust. "_Your _destined mate_? Did you really think I'd ever want to have anything to do with you, Lee?_"

A horrified silence descends on the entire room, and Jeno feels a hard knot of dread sink into his stomach.

Ah. He might not have been ready, after all.

"_Why would you ever think I'd ever be interested in someone like you?_" It continues. "_Just because I talk to you doesn't mean I'd fall over your feet, either._"

Jeno simply stands there, frozen in fear and pain of rejection, his only movement from his heaving breaths and shaking hands.

And like the final nail on the coffin, the boggart spits out: "J_ust because other people pay attention to you because you smell nice doesn't mean they really do like you, you arrogant bird._"

Suddenly, boggart-Jaemin crashes forward onto the floor, as if pushed from behind, to be replaced by the real Jaemin Na, who- to Jeno's further horror- is wearing an equally murderous expression as he looks at the creature wearing his face on the floor.

"The only thing I hate in the world more than strawberry yoghurt is having someone else put words in my mouth."

Then, Jaemin moves his attention to Jeno. His face smoothens out, wide-eyed and worried as he reaches out a hand towards the Veela.

Suddenly, it's all too much for Jeno. He needs to get away: from the staring eyes of their classmates, the cautious atmosphere, Na's searching look. Everything.

Before Jaemin's hand grasps his wrist, he slaps it away and pushes past the Slytherin 4th Year on his way to rush out of the room, eyes blurry from tears he didn't even notice were falling down his face.

Before Jaemin can run after the Veela who fled the room, he's stopped by someone calling out, "_Hey, Na._"

Jaemin whips his head back to the middle of the room in shock and fear.

Jeno Lee is sitting on the floor in front of that blasted dingy dresser.

"_You stupid human,_" Not-Jeno crows. Jaemin pales. "_Before, you used to quake in your dragon-hide boots at the thought of people knowing you were downright mental for me, and now you're scared to find out if it's not true, eh?_"

_"Well, you aren't,_" the boggart wearing Jeno's face drawls out. "_You're NOT my destined mate. Knowing you, there's something wrong with you, that's why you can't scent me, and not because you're my mate._"

"_I've not got the time nor patience for dumb gits like you, no matter how pretty they are__,_" Jeno growls, "_So piss off, Na._"

The class lets out surprised exclamations. Jeno is known for always striving to be kind in words and actions, and hearing him, even just a boggart parading as him, being deliberately hurtful, was impactful.

Jaemin lets out a deep sigh and a sad smile. "Oh, you poor creature. You'll never be able to copy Jeno Lee. He's one of a kind."

He raises his wand. "Don't be... _Riddikulus_."

Boggart-Jeno curls up, hands flying to his neck. He gets up and tries to speak, yet the only sound to come out are ringing bells.

Jaemin pushes the boggart back to the dresser and closes the doors before rushing out of the classroom to chase after Jeno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the list of faculty + some of the staff. Not everyone is going to show up, but I just wanted to fill up the roster. And yes, they're all SM haha.  
Edit: This is where a lot of similarities with TSTB pops up but a lot of those are either because they suit them IRL.  
Prof Sooman Lee - Headmaster  
Prof Kangta Ahn - History of Magic  
Prof Boa Kwon - Ancient Runes  
Prof Yunho Jung - Astronomy  
Prof Changmin Shim - Muggle Studies  
Prof Taeyeon Kim - Music/Muggle Music (Choir Mistress)  
Prof Hyoyeon Kim - Magical Theory  
Prof Yoona Im - Ghoul Studies  
Prof Yuri Kwon - Art/ Muggle Art  
Prof Sunny Lee - Divination  
Prof Minseok Kim - Defense Against the Dark Arts/Legilimancy  
Prof Junmyeon Kim - Arithmancy/ Advanced Arithmancy (Ravenclaw Head of House)  
Prof Kris Wu - Transfigurations (Gryffindor Head of House)  
Sir Yixing Zhang - Matron  
Prof Baekhyun Byun - Herbology (Hufflepuff Head of House)  
Prof Jongdae Kim - Charms (Choir Master)  
Prof Chanyeol Park - Care of Magical Creatures  
Prof Kyungsoo Do-Kim - Potions/ Alchemy (Slytherin Head of House)  
Sir Jongin Do-Kim - Flying/ Quidditch Coach


	3. Meet in the Middle (There's Always Room for Common Ground)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't know," Jaemin starts. "I didn't know... about your destined mate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 5/24/2020 PHT

Jaemin blazes through the corridors, running pell-mell with single-minded determination. The other students he meets have already parted, whispering among themselves. He seems to be on the right path, then.

He takes the steps to the 3rd floor three at a time, bounding up with his long legs. His destination is a shadowed alcove next to a statue of a two-headed gargoyle, hidden behind a faded tapestry of a heroic epic that's long-forgotten. He and Jeno sometimes go there to talk Quidditch between themselves without being bothered by their nosy friends and whispering schoolmates.

He hopes he's right.

He skids to a halt next to the gargoyles, and even through the thick tapestry he hears the faint sounds of ragged breaths and sniffling.

He stands next to the tapestry, sits on the floor behind the statue, hidden from view. The breaths and sniffling stop, so Jaemin lets out a sigh, willing his breath to even out.

"I didn't know," Jaemin starts. "I didn't know... about your destined mate."

A horrified silence follows, and so he scrambles to continue. "I mean, I _knew_ about it! I just... I didn't think it could ever be _me_, you see?"

"I thought... There must be something wrong with me, that I couldn't smell the pheromones, yeah?" He smiles, self-deprecatingly. "I'm probably just broken, I can't be anything special or summat."

"But you _are_!" Jeno bursts out, head poking out from beside the tapestry, nearly tipping Jaemin onto the floor in surprise.

Jaemin can see him kneeling on his fours, his face flushed and blotchy, while his eyes and nose were swollen red from crying.

Jaemin thinks he's still the most beautiful person in the world, even like this.

Jeno grasps at Jaemin's arm nearest him and pulls him into the alcove.

Once they're hidden and settled down, Jeno lets go of his arm, but Jaemin doesn't let him. He snags one hand in his, entwines their fingers together.

"We've had so many talks here," Jaemin says, squeezing Jeno's hand, "But we never had the most important one, yeah?"

Jeno nods, still sniffling. He rubs his eyes with his other hand, before nodding and squeezing his hand back.

"How about I go first?" Jaemin volunteers, and at Jeno's nod, he begins, "I've liked you since the moment we met."

Jeno smiles through teary eyes. "I did, too."

At Jaemin's stunned expression, Jeno explains, "I knew you were _The One_ when, instead of saying you love me or you like my smell, you told me how cool I was that I caught your snitch even from behind me. I didn't even realize it was there, you know? I turned around because I could _feel_ you."

"_What in blazes.._." Jaemin mutters, bewildered.

"Veelas exude pheromones that attract everyone, except for their destined mates, while Veelas can sense their mates," Jeno continues. "But we were just sixteen that time, I didn't really know what the bloody hell was happening."

"I told Doyoung about you during the first Hogsmeade weekend, and he would have thrown a fit if he wasn't Slytherin Head Boy, and looking after first years."

"Wait," Jaemin cuts in. "I remember that; he looked hopping mad!"

"He didn't realize I hadn't known yet, but when he did he calmed down."

"No wonder he looked at me like I was a pesky pixie in our first year. You know how scary it was, that the Head Boy glares at you whenever he gets sight of you?"

"I'm sorry, I asked him to keep an eye on you," Jeno explains, eyes curving with tear-laden lashes as he smiles softly. "I didn't think he'd give you the stink-eye while at it."

"S'fine," Jaemin waved his hand between them as if sweeping away his biggest fear during First-Year like it was nothing. "He stopped some months in, so besides freaking out for some time I got away scot-free."

"I'm really sorry," Jeno says, pout returning full force. "I should've just... said _something_. I can't expect you to know everything."

"I'm sorry I didn't do anything either," Jaemin says, his right hand cupping around Jeno's jaw and wiping away the single tear that fell.

"But in my defence, everyone knew I was absolutely gone on you," Jaemin teases, making Jeno flush once again. "_Everyone_ knew except you."

"I was in denial!" Jeno whined, slapping Jaemin on one thigh, before clutching onto the folds of his robe there.

"Well, now you know," Jaemin says, sliding his hand from Jeno's jaw, down his arm, to cover the hand fisted by his knee. "You going to do something about it?"

Jeno smiles, looking down at their clasped hands. "Like what?"

"Jeno Lee," Jaemin calls out, waiting for Jeno to look up at him. When their eyes meet, he continues.

"_Will you be my boyfriend?_"

* * *

"Remind me to get your brother Dongmyeong a pint of butterbeer next Hogesmeade weekend, Huang," Donghyuck says as he takes a seat beside Mark at the Gryffindor table at dinner that night.

Renjun releases a sigh before being followed by an irate, "Last I checked I wasn't my cousin Dongju."

Renjun closes the book he was reading to stare down Donghyuck. "No matter how similar DOngmyeong and I look, I'm not his actual twin."

Donghyuck simply looks at him, eyes wide. Renjun lets out another sigh, before rolling his eyes and focusing on his dinner. "Get Dongju a pint as well if you really want to make Dongmyeong happy and keep doing you favours."

Donghyuck grins and takes a bite of his roast chicken leg.

"What are you thanking Dongmyeong for, anyway?" Mark asks. "Does this have anything to do with why he's going to be sharing Dongju's bed in the Hufflepuff dorms tonight?"

("Why do you know that and why did you make it sound like a different thing?" "They asked permission, and only _you_ think there's something non-familial going on, Duckie.")

Donghyuck nods. "Yep," he says, "he just told me and Yangyang Liu to not enter the dorms the next few hours because _Jaemin brought Jeno Lee there._"

"Why would all of you have to leave because Jeno's there?" Chenle asks through a mouthful of potatoes.

"Aw, _gross_!" Jisung suddenly says out loud, looking at his plate with a disturbed expression.

"Why, what's wrong?" Mark asks confusedly, a cube of watermelon hovering near his mouth as he halts his fork.

"How am I going to tell Doyoung that Jeno got himself mated before Jaemin even met the family?" Jisung asks them, troubled.


	4. I Know How It Goes (From Wrong and Right)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No, Jisung, I did not get mated," Jeno preemptively says as he and Jaemin join their five friends for breakfast.
> 
> "So you better not have written a letter to Doyoung telling him that or else I'm owling your crush and tell him you liked him the moment you heard him laugh before even laying eyes on him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 5/24/2020 PHT

"No, Jisung, I did _not_ get mated," Jeno preemptively says as he and Jaemin join their five friends for breakfast at the Slytherin table the next morning.

"So you better not have written a letter to Doyoung telling him that or else I'm owling your crush to tell him you liked him the moment you heard him laugh before even laying eyes on him."

"Please don't," Jisung pleads as Donghyuck and Chenle perk up.

As Chenle pesters Jisung about the younger's crush, Jaemin and Jeno get their breakfast.

Jeno hands Jaemin the jug of milk for his cereal as Jaemin pushes a bowl of fruit towards Jeno to add to his porridge. Jeno scrunches his nose as Jaemin's tall glass of iced americano ("Poison." "_It's not!_") pops into existence. They proceed to eat as everyone looks at them with expressions ranging from confusion (Chenle), curiosity (Renjun), amusement (Mark), disgust (Jisung), and mischief (Donghyuck).

Jaemin makes a point of making eye contact with Donghyuck as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Devilry suits your ugly mug, Donghyuck Lee. Out with it."

"If you didn't seal the deal last night, why did Dongmyeong Son make us flee the dormitory?" Donghyuck asks, straight to the point.

"Nothing," Jeno says after swallowing a mouthful of fruit and porridge. "We just talked a lot."

"He bloody absolutely said he heard _something_!" Donghyuck wheedles, flopped onto the table to get closer to the two sitting across from him.

"Must be when we got to the really heavy stuff," Jaemin says over the rim of his coffee. "It got really _wet_."

Jeno laughs at the looks of disgust everyone threw at them.

"It got really sad a few hours in," he clears, spoon half-way to his mouth. "It's nice to have someone to cry with; very cathartic."

"_Lads_," Mark mutters sadly, looking every inch a pitiful lion cub. "You know you have us, right? We're always all ears."

He offers his hand to the centre of the table, palm up and open.

"We know," Jaemin answers as he and Jeno reach for it, clasping Mark's hand between theirs to reassure him. "Friends are one thing, but mates are another."

"There's just something different when it's with your mate," Jeno explains. "The more time we spend with each other, the more we'd be able to sense each other's emotions and thoughts."

"Once we make it official," Jaemin adds, looking into Jeno's eyes, "it'll be like we're the same person."

"_Oui_, zat's nice and all,_ mes amis_, but zere are some of us 'ere zat are single and bitter about it," Chenle cuts off, pouting, oblivious to Jisung's sudden nervous fidgeting. "Not in front of my crepes so early in ze morning, _s'il vous plaît_."

"By the way," Donghyuck chimes in. "You two have to explain to Professor Do-Kim and Professor Wu why you two were gone yesterday."

At the two's groan of fear, Donghyuck continues gleefully. "Professor Minseok already told them, but you really should talk to the Heads of Houses."

"Go to them when Sir Jongin and Professor Junmyeon are with them so they can't get mad," Jisung adds in, recovering from whatever minor spiral Chenle's comment put him in. "Works every time."

"We'll keep that in mind," Jeno accepts, sharing a worried look with Jaemin.

"Mark!" They all look to see Hufflepuff Quidditch captain and Doyoung's boyfriend, Jaehyun Jung, approaching their table.

After exchanging greetings, Jaehyun goes straight to the point. "Professor Byun asked me to tell you that all the Hufflepuff prefects have to meet with him, Seokmin, and Eunha in a few minutes. Can you come now?" Vaguely motioning to the direction of the Hufflepuff table where said Professor, Head Boy, and Head Girl were.

"Sure," Mark nods as he crams his remaining toast into his mouth before speedily saying his goodbyes and running back to his own table.

"Oh, and Jeno," Jaehyun says before leaving, "Doie owled me to tell you that Donghae says you have to bring Jaemin with you next week for Christmas hols."

And with a nod, Jaehyun leaves.

"_Oh, fuck._"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: So this is probably where I'm leaving this instalment. The next time I'm doing anything with this series is probably to update Little Things or to start on a new instalment. Peace.


	5. You & I Ver 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first version of You & I.

The moment Donghyuck heard another sigh from the blithering idiot next to him, he's decided he's had enough.

"Bloody hell, Jaemin, either man up and confess to Jeno, or stand down and move the fuck on!" Donghyuck growls, violently stabbing at his French toast.

Jaemin pouts at him over his goblet of what Donghyuck considers broom polish ("Master Jaemin!" A small elf named Pimmy screeches at them whenever they sneak into the kitchens after curfew. "No more _poison_ coffee, Master Jaemin, _no_! Peach juice, yes, peach juice for breakfast!" Jaemin gets served coffee either way). "But Hyuck--"

"Don't _But Hyuck!_ me!" Dongyuck cuts him off, pointing threateningly at Jaemin with his fork, a syrup-drenched blueberry skewered on the prongs.

"It's been _four years_ since you've been pining after Jeno Lee's flat arse the moment you saw him catch your wayward toy snitch flying pell-mell around the Hogwarts Express the first time! People shake off their crushes on Veelas in a few days, but you never did! Do something about it!"

"Excuse me!" Jaemin fluffs indignantly. Donghyuck wonders what nonsense Jaemin will spout in self-defense this time.

"His arse is _not_ flat!" Donghyuck wants to stab him for this pronouncement, but he needs his fork to eat his toast, so Jaemin better count it his lucky day that Donghyuck decides to be kind and not commit murder by fork this wonderful morning.

"His robes just hide it well, and he always wears these long jackets out of uniform, he has an arse, unlike you!" Jaemin ends this with a _Hmp!_ from his nose while he crosses both arms across his chest with a sullen pout, looking like a particularly sulky little child throwing a tantrum.

"Seriously?" Donghyuck huffs indignantly. "I throw in your face the fact you've been helplessly, hopelessly in love with him for four years and you focus on me saying his arse is flat? Merlin, Jaemin!"

"But it's not easy, confessing!" Jaemin complains, slumping onto the table. Around them, their fellow Slytherins continue with their own breakfasts and conversations, used to Donghyuck complaining about Jaemin's 'unrequited' love towards the blonde half-Veela Gryffindor every day.

"Well go on," Donghyuck goads, grabbing for his tea, "remind me why in blazes it's difficult?"

"House Rivalry for one!" Jaemin looks at him incredulously, as if to ask Donghyuck if he's lost his mind for not knowing. He must have, Donghyuck thinks, to let this madness go on for so long.

"I'm Slytherin and he's Gryffindor!" Jaemin points to himself, then to the direction of the Gryffindor table on the other side of the Great Hall, where Jeno sits with his younger cousin, 2nd year Jisung Park.

Donghyuck can feel his right temple pound from his irritation as he sips his tea. "And I'm dating a Hufflepuff prefect," motioning to the same direction, towards the Hufflepuff table nearer to the center of the Great Hall, where his own boyfriend, 5th year prefect Mark Lee, was being tutored by his friend, Ravenclaw 4th year Renjun Huang, while Gryffindor 3rd year Chenle Zhong yammers at them with some story or another.

"If there's anyone Slytherins hate more than a quiet yet popular Gryffindor boy, it's an earnest Hufflepuff boy in a position of power," Donghyuck claims, banging his teacup on the table in frustration. "So, no, Reason 1 not accepted!"

"Well, his family is rich, and I'm not," Jaemin mutters into the table.

Donghyuck can literally feel his blood pressure rising. "You're both purebloods! Mark is a highborn pureblood as well while I'm a Muggle-born but his family doesn't care about that!"

"That's because you're the only Muggle-born Slytherin in the last 50 years, _and_ you actually do have a squib ancestor from one of those American sacred families!" Jaemin screeches, pushing himself off of the table to point at Donghyuck's face. Donghyuck moves to bite at the offending appendage, but Jaemin snatches it away to hold his hand tight against his chest.

"That, and you can cook; ensuring Mark doesn't die from starvation ranks higher over blood purity for them." Jaemin deflates with a sigh, hunching over.

Donghyuck slaps him on the shoulder to have him straighten up. Jaemin banged up his back during a Quidditch match on his first year as Seeker on the Slytherin team, and the healer folks over at St. Mungo's said that even though the injury's been healed magically, keeping proper posture should be maintained to help it along.

"Jaemin, you cook better than I do," Donghyuck says testily. "Even Jeno's eaten your food and he's claimed your soy sauce egg fried rice is better than Dongyoung Kim's, and it's no secret at Hogwarts how Jeno absolutely loves his half-brother."

And it's true. The two of them stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas holidays last year for some reason or another, and so did Mark, Renjun, Chenle, Jeno, and Jisung. Donghyuck demanded Jaemin cook a midnight snack during one of their moonlit escapades to the kitchens near the Hufflepuff Basement. With Donghyuck came Mark, and with Mark came Renjun and Chenle, and with Chenle came, oddly, Jisung, and with Jisung obviously came Jeno. When Jeno said he thought Jaemin might have cooked better than his own older brother, he had the other six swear they won't tell anyone for fear of retribution. Jaemin had been as red as the holly berries decking the halls and kept his head down.

"And, well, Jeno himself is half-Veela, I don't think his family cares for blood purity all that much either?" Donghyuck surmises, returning to his French toast.

Jaemin seems to deflate even more hearing this, listing to the side to rest his big head on Donghyuck's shoulder.

"Well, that's the kicker, isn't it?" He says, tone soft and sad. "He's a Veela, and Veelas have this destined mate they'll be with for life."

Donghyuck gives up his peeved front and pats Jaemin's head. Well, that one certainly is something to give pause. And yet...

"...Jaemin, I don't know if you're actually unaware or simply being blinded by your misplaced insecurities and baseless self-deprecation, but you're recipient to a lot of liberties regarding Jeno Lee."

"What in blazes are you yammering about now, Donghyuck Lee?" Jaemin gloomily sighs into Donghyuck's robed shoulder.

Donghyuck shakes him off and has Jaemin face him. "Uh, Liberty Number One, aside from family, the only person Jeno willingly lays his hands on is you."

"No, I'm not," Jaemin grumbles, slightly slumping again, before he remembers and straightens his back. "He touches his other teammates, as well."

"Alright, let me reword that," Donghyuck concedes, because it is true that Jeno is prone to giving pats on the back to his fellow Gryffindor Quidditch teammates.

"You're the only non-Gryffindor he willingly touches," he amends.

Jaemin shakes his head. "No, he touches you, Mark, Renjun, and Chenle, too."

"No, we touch him first and only then will he think of touching back," Donghyuck argues. "But with you, his hands reach out the moment he sees you."

And as if summoned, Jaemin feels a hand settle on his shoulder, warmth seeping through the layers of his robes, sweater, shirt, and undershirt. He looks over his shoulder and up the robed arm to see Jeno's widely smiling face, eyes slit in happiness.

The Slytherins around him fall into a hush, some swooning from his handsome face, the others from his prominently sweet-smelling pheromones. Even the already taken Donghyuck flushes, no match for a happy Jeno's happy pheromones.

Jaemin imagines he probably would have reacted the same had he been able to smell anything more than the mild and clean scents of Jeno's apple-kiwi shampoo and cherry blossom detergent, but he'd never had, even when they first met. No one probably knows he can't scent Jeno's Veela pheromones nor why, and he thinks he'll never find out.

"Ready for our match on Thursday, Na?" Jeno asks, gently squeezing Jaemin's shoulder.

"Bring it on, Lee," Jaemin answers, slightly smirking.

"Why do the two of you insist on talking trash when you actually don't care who between your Houses wins so long as it's not Ravenclaw who wins House Cup?" Renjun asks exasperatedly behind Jeno. Jaemin didn't even notice he, along with Jisung, Mark, and Chenle followed Jeno to their table.

Talk about tunnel vision.

Jaemin takes note of the five of them having their bags slung upon their shoulders for the start of classes, and begins to stand up as well, Jeno's hand sliding from his shoulder.

"It's tradition, my dear Mr. Huang," Jaemin informs him haughtily, donning on his own bag as Donghyuck follows suit.

The seven of them step out of the Great Hall towards their destinations, Donghyuck and Jaemin to Charms, Jeno to Double History of Magic with Hufflepuff, Renjun for Arithmancy, Chenle and Jisung for Double Potions, and Mark to patrol for truant students as part of his prefect duties.

"It's unacceptable that a House full of bookworms and sports snobs get the Quidditch House Cup," Jaemin shakes his head. "No offense meant," he adds.

"None taken," Renjun sniffs. "I don't really care for Quidditch, and it annoys me that my Housemates are only participating in it to spite you Slytherins and Gryffindors."

"What if Hufflepuff wins the Cup?" Chenle asks, not knowing much about these things since he only transferred from Beauxbatons late last term.

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, wouldn't it?" Mark asks, eyes peeled for any possible students hiding in the shadows to play hooky. "Hufflepuff always won the Cup during Jeno's brother's time here."

"The actor, right?" Chenle confirms. "Gongmyung?"

"Well, with my brother-in-law as Hufflepuff captain, I probably wouldn't mind them winning House Cup," Jeno says, smirking, earning him a playful smack from Jisung who snickers and says, "Jaehyun's not married to Dongyoung yet, shut up!"

"I don't know, Lee," Jaemin joins in. "Sicheng Dong became captain this year after he helped Ten Leechaiyapornkul get his last Cup as captain; I don't think he'd pull back his competitiveness even for his best mate."

Jeno shrugs, slowing down as the Slytherins reach their classroom. "I don't know, we'll see, Jungkook Jeon is Gryffindor captain now, he's pretty competitive, same as Ravenclaw's Dongmin Lee, who I heard is actually in it for the game."

"How about let's just leave it with _May the best 7th year captain win?_" Jaemin settles, stepping into the room. "See you, mate."

Jaemin misses the wistful look Jeno throws him at the word 'mate.'

"Yeah, see you, _mate_."

* * *

Jeno's worst nightmare happens during winter, a week before Christmas hols. He's in Defense Against the Dark Arts with his fellow 4th Year Gryffindors when Professor Minseok Kim says they'll be having class that day with Slytherins, before letting in a flock of green-tied kids.

He shares a look with Bin Moon, a fellow Gryffindor who he got along well with (after the customary short initial infatuation from the pheromones faded away and all that's left is a sincere shy kid who was mortified by reacting to something he can't control) after someone's failed spell-casting in Transfigurations ended up with Bin having Veela-white hair and Jeno saying, "Hey, Moon, you kinda look like me!"

They exchange shrugs. They don't understand it, but they don't mind it; there's no bad blood between either of them and any Slytherin student, so why bother? Jeno thinks his and Bin's general air of affability is what made them stay friends. Their similarities have also been the source of rumors of them being twins, but it didn't last long because people remembered the fact that Jeno's father was a Veela, which meant he was hatched from an egg, and it would've been big, _public_ news if twins hatched from the _same_ egg. That and Bin is absolutely, completely, obviously human.

He sees Jaemin Na (and by extension Donghyuck Lee) and waves them over. They share nods and murmured thanks, and if Jeno keeps on surreptitiously stealing glances at Na, it's not something everyone in their year hasn't seen yet.

He's not sure if anyone knows that Na is his destined mate, or if they just think he has a crush on the only person who had never professed his undying love to him within the first ten seconds of meeting him. He doesn't want anyone to know anything until he's made his move.

Until he gathers enough courage to make a move, more like.

For someone like him, who never has to worry about being rejected for anything, fearing rejection seems ironic, yet, at the same time, very sensical since it'll be from the only person who ever could.

Professor Minseok Kim claps his hands to get everyone's attention. He's Jeno's favorite professor, and it's not just because he dotes on and coos at Mark Lee like the Hufflepuff prefect is his own little brother. He's not tall, but he holds his head high with a comfortable confidence. He's quiet, kind, and dependable, and one of the most favored professors in Hogwarts. He's the oldest among the four Kims, but he's not the most serious (that's Arithmancy Professor Junmyeon Kim), nor the loudest (that's Charms Professor Jongdae Kim), nor the tallest (that's Flying Instructor and Quidditch coach Sir Jongin Do-Kim, husband of Potions Professor Kyungsoo Do-Kim), but he manages to wrangle the disasters that are his cousins whenever they're all together in one room. He's even seen him quell Herbology Professor Baekhyun Byun and Care of Magical Creatures Professor Chanyeol Park from bothering the matron, Sir Yixing Zhang with just one look once and Jeno had vowed since then that one day he'd be as cool as Professor Minseok. (Rumors of him being mated to a Veela from the Lu Family may also have contributed to this, but Jeno is not willing to admit to that.)

Jeno snaps out of his musings when Professor Minseok brings out his wand and motions for a tall dresser closer to the center of the room, all of the students seated around it staring as it moves and rattles with whatever is inside.

"Alright," Professor Minseok starts. "Is there anyone in this class who has a guess on what's inside?"

Everyone kept looking at each other, having an idea of what it was, but not risking embarrassment if they were wrong.

Jeno decides he'll just do it, then.

“It’s a boggart.”

"Correct! Ten points to Gryffindor, thank you Mr. Lee," Professor Minseok nods, and Jeno _preens_. He's part-bird, he can't help it.

"In the past few weeks, we've gone through the necessary lore, spellcasting, and wandwork required, and now it's time for the real deal." He glances around, and seeing everyone raptly listening to him, he continues.

"What's the spell?"

"_Riddikulus_!" They all shout, some with raised fists, feeling hyped up with the prospect of an encounter with your actual nightmare.

"Any volunteers?" Professor Minseok asks, which brought the excitement to a screeching, nervous halt.

"If we're talking _ballsy_," Donghyuck Lee says, getting up, "It might as well be _me_."

Lee steps out with a confident air that Jeno knows is half-real and half-fake. He's brave for a Slytherin, but he's also not stupid.

Once Lee is in front of the dresser with his wand out and poised, Professor Minseok nods at him.

"At the count of three, and I'll open the doors. Ready? One, two, three. _Alohomora_!"

The doors open to nothing but darkness, and no one except for Lee sees anything, but at his deep breath, the students closest to the middle start whispering when a figure steps out. Jeno hears Na cuss under his breath. Jeno doesn't understand. Until he sees the boggart.

But it isn't a boggart that comes out of the dresser.

It's Mark Lee. A slightly older Mark Lee.

It's an older Mark Lee who has formal dress robes on. _Wedding robes_. His left hand is rubbing at his neck and collar, a gold band glinting from the ring finger.

"_Thank you for coming to the wedding, Duckie_," the faux Mark Lee says, misty eyes locked on Donghyuck Lee's now slightly shaking form.

"_I'm sorry about this_," he continues. "_I wanted to stay with you forever, but... my family wanted to keep the bloodline pure... and they've always wanted me to marry Eunji Go for forever, anyway..._"

Said girl, Eunji Go, more known by her nickname Koeun, hisses at the boggart from somewhere in the middle of the red and green mass of students.

Jeno's slightly sensitive Veela hearing picks up her grumbling about how that makes no sense because Mark Lee and his family fell in love with Donghyuck Lee the moment they met him.

But of course, fear didn't have to make sense to exist. It just does.

"_It's been a great couple of years_," Mark Lee the boggart adds. "_It's time for you to also move on and forget me, yeah?_"

"Yeah, no," Donghyuck Lee says, raising his wand. "The only person Mark's marrying is me, and no one else. _Riddikulus!_"

With a firm downward movement, Donghyuck Lee casts the spell, and the sad, older Mark Lee in wedding robes transforms into 5th Year Mark Lee in flannel pyjamas with a matching nightcap, fluffy bunny slippers, and a knit lion plush in one hand.

A burst of giggles and snickers comes from the students as Donghyuck Lee smiles. It's not a particularly ridiculously embarrassing sight, but the humour stems from how everyone knows this exact ensemble exists in real life, due to a prank gone wrong and the Hufflepuff boys had to evacuate their side of the dormitories in the middle of the night in their sleep clothes to bunk with other houses. As the prefects had to help with settling the lower years, everyone saw Mark Lee with his slippers, cap, and lion.

Boggart-Mark scuttles back into the dresser with the laughter, and Professor Minseok returns the lock with a flick of the wrist.

Donghyuck Lee returns to his seat, accepting the high-five Eunji Go offers him on his way back with a grin and laugh.

A loud clap rings in the air, and all eyes return to the middle of the room to see Professor Minseok's crooked grin.

"Now, who's next?"

Almost everyone raises their hands, clamoring to have a go.

Some have common fears, like deep waters, giant spiders, and failing their parents.

There are also those with more unusual ones, like butterflies, birds (Bin's was pigeons, which Jeno took in particular offense, because, Hello, Part-Bird!), and Professor Kyungsoo Do-Kim glaring and scowling on particularly bad days.

Jeno hears Na ask to be let to go to the bathroom, and so he takes the chance to volunteer to face the boggart then.

Jeno thinks he's quite brave- he's a Gryffindor, after all- but he suspects his turn with the boggart will be similar to Donghyuck Lee's.

Everyone becomes quiet when Professor Minseok calls him forward, curious as to what beloved Jeno Lee's deepest fear is.

He's sad to say it is not a _what_, but a _who_.

Professor Minseok looks at him hard, gaze searching. "Are you absolutely sure you're ready to face your fears, Mr. Lee?"

Jeno nods, hands shaking. "Yes, professor; I'm ready."

Professor Minseok nods reluctantly, before spelling the dresser open.

The surprised gasps that escape the class are louder than when the boggart stepped out as Mark Lee the first time. It's even louder than when a two-meter tall acromantula skittered out.

And why wouldn't they be surprised, when everyone knows that Jaemin Na just stepped out of their classroom and is on his merry way to the nearest toilets?

What's probably more surprising is the expression the boggart has put on Na's handsome face. He's frowning. No, not just frowning, but downright _scowling_. It was worse than when Professor Kyungsoo forgot his glasses the whole day and his migraines act up because he wasn't able to get a Pepper Up Potion from Sir Zhang at the hospital wing during lunch.

Jaemin Na doesn't frown, much less scowl. He can get into the most mental situations with nothing less than the brightest smile, an absolute ray of sunshine. He pouts when wheedling and whinging at Donghyuck Lee, sure, but he never frowns.

The faux Jaemin looks something unimaginable: angry and affronted.

"_Really?!_" Boggart-Jaemin spits out, scowling impossibly deeper, eyes flashing in disgust. "_Your _destined mate_? Did you really think I'd ever want to have anything to do with you, Lee?_"

A horrified silence descends on the entire room, and Jeno feels a hard knot of dread sink into his stomach. _Ah. He might not have been ready, after all._

"_Why would you ever think I'd ever be interested in someone like you?_" It continues. "_Just because I talk to you doesn't mean I'd fall over your feet, either._"

Jeno simply stands there, frozen in fear and pain of rejection, his only movement from his heaving breaths and shaking hands.

And like the final nail on the coffin, the boggart spits out: "_You arrogant bird._"

Suddenly, boggart-Jaemin crashes forward onto the floor, as if pushed from behind, to be replaced by the real Jaemin Na, who- to Jeno's further horror- is wearing an equally murderous expression as he looks at the creature wearing his face on the floor.

Then, Jaemin moves his attention to Jeno. His face smoothens out before he reaches out a hand towards the Veela.

Suddenly, it's all too much for Jeno. He needs to get away.

Before Jaemin's hand grasps his wrist, he slaps it away and pushes past the Slytherin 4th Year on his way to rush out of the room, eyes blurry from tears he didn't even notice were falling down his face.

Before Jaemin can run after the Veela who fled the room, he's stopped by someone calling out, "_Hey, Na._"

Jaemin whips his head back to the middle of the room in shock and fear.

Jeno Lee is sitting on the floor in front of that blasted dingy dresser.

"_You stupid human,_" Not-Jeno crows. Jaemin pales. "_Before, you used to quake in your dragon-hide boots at the thought of people knowing you were downright mental for me, and now you're scared to find out if it's not true, eh?_"

_"Well, you aren't,_" the boggart wearing Jeno's face drawls out. "_You're NOT my destined mate. Knowing you, there's something wrong with you, that's why you can't scent me, and not because you're my mate._"

"_So, piss off,_" Jeno growls, " _'Cause I've not got the time nor patience for dumb gits like you, Jaemin Na._"

The class lets out surprised expressions. Jeno is known for always striving to be kind in words and actions, and hearing him, even just through a boggart, being deliberately hurtful, was impactful.

Jaemin lets out a deep sigh and a sad smile. "Oh, you poor creature. You'll never be able to copy Jeno Lee. He's one of a kind."

He raises his wand. "Don't be.... _Riddikulus_."

Boggart-Jeno curls up, hands flying to his neck. He gets up and tries to speak, yet the only sound to come out are ringing bells.

Jaemin pushes the boggart back to the dresser and closes the doors before rushing out of the classroom to chase after Jeno.

* * *

Jaemin blazes through the corridors, running pell-mell with single-minded determination. The other students he meets have already parted, whispering among themselves. He seems to be on the right path, then.

He takes the steps to the 3rd floor three at a time, bounding up with his long legs. His destination is a shadowed alcove next to a statue of a two-headed gargoyle, hidden behind a faded tapestry of a heroic story long-forgotten. He and Jeno sometimes go there to talk Quidditch between themselves without being bothered by their nosy friends and whispering schoolmates.

He hopes he's right.

He skids to a halt next to the gargoyles, and even through the thick tapestry, he can hear the faint sounds of ragged breaths and sniffling.

He stands next to the tapestry, sits on the floor behind the statue, hidden from view. The breaths and sniffling stop, and he sighs out, willing his breath to even out.

"I didn't know," Jaemin starts. "I didn't know... about your destined mate."

A horrified silence follows, and so he scrambles to continue. "I mean, I _knew_ about it! I just... I didn't think it could ever be _me_, you see?"

"I thought... There must be something wrong with me, that I couldn't smell the pheromones, yeah?" He smiles, self-deprecatingly. "I'm probably just broken, I can't be anything special or summat."

"But you _are_!" Jeno bursts out, head poking out from beside the tapestry, nearly tipping Jaemin onto the floor in surprise.

Jaemin can see him kneeling on his fours, face flushed and blotchy, eyes and nose swollen red from crying.

Jaemin thinks he's still the most beautiful person in the world, even like this.

Jeno grasps at Jaemin's arm nearest him and pulls him into the alcove.

Once they're hidden and settled down, Jeno lets go of his arm, but Jaemin doesn't let him. He snags one hand in his, entwines their fingers together.

"We've had so many talks here," Jaemin says, squeezing Jeno's hand, "But we never had the most important one, yeah?"

Jeno nods, still sniffling. He rubs his eyes with his other hand, before nodding and squeezing his hand back.

"How about I go first?" Jaemin volunteers, and at Jeno's nod, he begins, "I've liked you since the moment we met."

Jeno smiles through teary eyes. "I did, too."

At Jaemin's stunned expression, Jeno explains, "I knew you were _The One_ when, instead of saying you love me or you like my smell, you told me how cool I was that I caught your snitch even from behind me."

"I didn't really realize it was there, you know? I turned around because I could _feel_ you."

"_What in blazes.._." Jaemin mutters, bewildered.

"Veelas exude pheromones that attract everyone, except for their destined mates, while Veelas can sense their mates," Jeno continues. "But we were just sixteen that time, I didn't really know what the bloody hell was happening."

"I told Doyoung about you during the first Hogsmeade weekend, and he nearly threw a fit, if he wasn't Slytherin Head Boy, and looking after first years."

"Wait," Jaemin cuts in. "I remember that, he looked hopping mad!"

"He didn't realize I hadn't known yet, but when he did he calmed down."

"No wonder he looked at me like I was a pesky pixie in first year. You know how scary it was, that the Head Boy glares at you whenever he gets sight of you?"

"I'm sorry, I asked him to keep an eye on you, didn't think he'd give you the stink-eye while at it."

"S'fine," Jaemin waved his hand between them as if sweeping away his biggest fear during first year like it was nothing. "He stopped some months in, besides freaking out for some time I got away scot-free."

"I'm really sorry," Jeno says, pout returning full force. "I should've just... said _something_. I can't expect you to know everything."

"I'm sorry I didn't do anything either," Jaemin says, his right hand cupping around Jeno's jaw and wiping away the single tear that fell.

"But in my defense, everyone knew I was absolutely gone on you," Jaemin teases, making Jeno flush once again. "_Everyone_ knew except you."

"I was in denial!" Jeno whined, slapping Jaemin on one thigh, before clutching onto the folds of his robe there.

"Well, now you know," Jaemin says, sliding his hand from Jeno's jaw, down his arm, to cover the hand fisted by his knee. "You going to do something about it?"

Jeno smiles, looking down at their clasped hands. "Like what?"

"Jeno Lee," Jaemin calls out, waiting for Jeno to look up at him. When their eyes meet, he continues.

"_Will you be my boyfriend?_"

* * *

"Remind me to get your brother Dongju a pint of butterbeer next Hogesmeade weekend, Huang," Donghyuck says as he takes a seat beside Mark at the Gryffindor table at dinner that night.

Renjun releases a sigh before being followed by an irate, "Last I checked I wasn't my cousin Dongmyeong."

Renjun closes the book he was reading to stare down Donghyuck. "No matter how similar we look, the joke got old in first year."

Donghyuck simply looks at him, eyes wide. Renjun lets out another sigh, before rolling his eyes and focusing on his dinner. "Get Dongmyeong a pint as well if you really want to make Dongju happy and keep doing you favors."

Donghyuck grins and takes a bite of his roast chicken leg.

"What are you thanking Dongju for, anyway?" Mark asks. "Does this have anything to do with why he's going to be sharing Dongmyeong's bed in the Hufflepuff dorms this fine evening?"

("Why do you know that and why did you make it sound like a different thing?" "He asked permission, and only _you_ think there's something non-familial going on, Duckie.")

Donghyuck nods. "Yep," he says, "he just told me and Yangyang Liu to not enter the dorms the next few hours because _Jaemin brought Jeno Lee there._"

"Why would all of you have to leave because Jeno's there?" Chenle asks through a mouthful of potatoes.

"Aw, _gross_!" Jisung suddenly says out loud, looking at his plate with a disturbed expression.

"Why, what's wrong?" Mark asks confusedly, a cube of watermelon hovering near his mouth as he halts his fork.

"How am I going to tell Doyoung that Jeno got himself mated before Jaemin even met the family?" Jisung asks them, troubled.

* * *

"No, Jisung, I did _not_ get mated," Jeno preemptively says as he and Jaemin join their five friends for breakfast. They were at the Slytherin table the next morning.

"So you better not have written a letter to Doyoung telling him that or else I'm owling your crush and tell him you liked him the moment you heard him laugh before even laying eyes on him."

"Please don't," Jisung pleads as Donghyuck and Chenle perk up.

As Chenle pesters Jisung about the younger's crush, Jaemin and Jeno get their breakfast.

Jeno hands Jaemin the jug of milk for his cereal as Jaemin pushes a bowl of fruit towards Jeno to add to his porridge. Jeno scrunches his nose as Jaemin's tall glass of iced americano ("Poison." "_It's not!_") pops into existence. They proceed to eat as everyone looks at them with expressions ranging from confusion (Chenle), curiosity (Renjun), amusement (Mark), disgust (Jisung), and mischief (Donghyuck).

Jaemin makes a point of making eye contact with Donghyuck as he takes a sip of his coffee. "Devilry suits your ugly mug, Donghyuck Lee. Out with it."

"If you didn't seal the deal last night, why did Dongju Son make us flee the dormitory?" Donghyuck asks, straight to the point.

"Nothing," Jeno says after swallowing a mouthful of fruit and porridge. "We just talked a lot."

"He bloody absolutely said he heard _something_!" Donghyuck wheedles, flopped onto the table to get closer to the two sitting across from him.

"Must be when we got to the really heavy stuff," Jaemin says over the rim of his coffee. "It got really _wet_."

Jeno laughs at the looks of disgust everyone threw at them.

"It got really sad a few hours in," he clears, spoon half-way to his mouth. "It's nice to have someone to cry with; very cathartic."

"_Lads_," Mark mutters sadly, looking every inch a pitiful lion cub. "You know you have us, right? We're always all ears."

He offers his hand to the center of the table, palm up and open.

"We know," Jaemin answers as he and Jeno reach for it, clasping Mark's hand between theirs. "Friends are one thing, but mates are another."

"There's just something different when it's with your mate," Jeno explains. "The more time we spend with each other, the more we'd be able to sense each other's emotions and thoughts."

"Once we make it official," Jaemin adds, looking into Jeno's eyes, "it'll be like we're the same person."

"Alright, that's nice and all, lads, but there are some of us here that are single and bitter about it," Chenle cuts off, pouting, oblivious to Jisung's nervous fidgeting. "Not in front of my crepes so early in the morning, please."

"By the way," Donghyuck chimes in. "You two have to explain to Professor Do-Kim and Professor Wu why you two were gone yesterday."

At the two's groan of fear, Donghyuck continues gleefully. "Professor Minseok already told them, but you really should talk to the Heads of Houses."

"Go to them when Sir Jongin and Professor Junmyeon are with them so they can't get mad," Jisung adds in, recovering from whatever minor spiral Chenle's comment put him in. "Works every time."

"We'll keep that in mind," Jeno accepts, sharing a worried look with Jaemin.

"Mark!" They all look to see Hufflepuff Quidditch captain and Doyoung's boyfriend, Jaehyun Jung, approaching their table.

After exchanging greetings, Jaehyun goes straight to the point. "Professor Byun asked me to tell you that all the Hufflepuff prefects have to meet with him, Seokmin, and Eunha in a few minutes. Can you come now?" Vaguely motioning to the direction of the Hufflepuff table where said Professor, Head Boy, and Head Girl were.

"Sure," Mark nods as he crams his remaining toast into his mouth before speedily saying his goodbyes and running back to his own table.

"Oh, and Jeno," Jaehyun says before leaving, "Doie owled me to tell you that Donghae says you have to bring Jaemin with you next week for Christmas hols."

And with a nod, Jaehyun leaves.

"_Oh, fuck._"


End file.
